When my wife came in with diverticulitis we went through a very traumatic experience. We were assured that there would be little risk with surgery however, she was not improving. As a nurse she has always interpreted information coming from the doctors and made all of our family medical decisions. Because of her medication and mental state I felt pressure to make decisions that may impact my wife's survival.

Going into the second surgery I was extremely worried about the potential outcome. That is when Rick said that he would call and update me on the progress of the surgery. Rick also stayed past his shift to escort me and my family to my wife's next room. The comfort of knowing that someone was looking out for us and keeping us informed made a very difficult experience much more bearable. We spent a total of twenty-two days in the hospital and over that time we encountered many good nurses. However, I would be hard pressed to find a more compassionate and deserving nurse than Rick for this DAISY Award.